Show ContentsSmithee History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

An ancient Scottish people known as the Picts were the forefathers of the Smithee family. Smithee is a name for a smithy. Although Smithee appears to be an occupational name for a blacksmith, it has been suggested that when surnames came into use in Scotland, several different families simply 'took on' the name whether they had been blacksmiths or not. Thus, Smithee is a classic example of a polygenetic surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.

Early Origins of the Smithee family

The surname Smithee was first found in northern England and Scotland, where they held a family seat from ancient times. In trying to establish a single source for this amazing, monumentally prolific surname Smith, it is asserted that they descended from Neil Cromb, a Chieftain who flourished in 1150, third son of Murdoch, Chief of the Clan Chattan, a confederation of twenty-six Clans of which Smith was a member Clan.

Faber and Ferro were Latin equivalents of the name Smith which were used in medieval documents. William faber de Karel witnessed legal proceedings c. 1250. William the Smith served as a juror during an inquest held at Traquair in 1274. In Aberdeen there lived an Alan Smyth in 1398. Finally, a Patrick Smyth of Scotland is noted as being confined in the Tower of London in 1401.

Early History of the Smithee family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Smithee research. Another 240 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1660, 1665, 1668, 1699, 1720, 1853 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Smithee History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Smithee Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Smithee include Smith, Smyth, Smythe and others.

Early Notables of the Smithee family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Smithee Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Smithee family to Ireland

Some of the Smithee family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 88 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Smithee migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Smithee:

Smithee Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • George Smithee, who landed in Maryland in 1662 [1]
Smithee Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Peter Smithee, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Smithee (post 1700) +

  • John Smithee, American Republican politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives 86th District; Elected unopposed 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004; Elected 2006, 2008; Elected unopposed 2010, 2012 [2]
  • Edna V. Smithee, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Glenpool, Oklahoma, 1963-75 (acting, 1963-65) [2]
  • John True Smithee (b. 1951), American attorney and politician, Texas State Representative (1985-)


The Smithee Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Semper Fidelis
Motto Translation: Always faithful.


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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